community engagement
Yes, I may be busy. But I always make time to give back to my community and volunteer for causes I am passionate about. Below are some of my favorite experiences connecting to community and making a positive impact.
Camp ReCreation
Growing up with my cousin Lexi, I always knew there was something different about her that I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know why she was at the hospital so much, why she yelled instead of spoke, or why she was so fascinated with touch. This started my interest in what would become a major passion of mine: engaging with people with disabilities.
If you know me well, you know that Camp ReCreation (referred to often as just ‘Camp’) holds a special place in my heart. People with various disabilities can escape the day to day life and enjoy a breath of fresh air. At camp, we believe that anyone is capable of riding in a canoe, doing archery, or any other summer camp activity they want to take part in. I have become part of this community that reunites every summer to ‘volunteer’. I really believe the campers give me more joy and love than what I am able to put into them.
Alternative Break Leader, Guatemala
My second year at LMU, I added a minor in Special Education because I was interested in access to education, especially for those who may need extra support in the classroom. This brought me to leading a trip to Guatemala focused on incorporating indigenous culture in the classroom and access to quality education in Guatemala. I lead a group of 10 students on this trip alongside my co-leader where we listened to educators, designed classroom activities for the students, and learned about the local culture. I created meeting agendas that informed the group on the current events happening in Guatemala and facilitated reflections to give students a better understanding of the trip’s purpose. Myself and my co-leader made sure the trip ran smoothly, oversaw the logistics, and fostered a supportive community amongst all of the student participants. This trip took place during spring break of 2016.
Skid Row Service Retreat, Loyola Marymount University
The amount of people experiencing homeless in Los Angeles continues to rise. I wanted to learn about the resources in Los Angeles and decided to apply for the Skid Row Service Retreat. I resided in a homeless shelter in Skid Row for 3 nights while learning about the services in the area, the history of Skid Row, and systematic oppressions the homeless community faces. This trip was an educational experience that taught me a lot about Skid Row and what long lasting impactful services can look like. Our student group listened to community members so we could get a full understanding of what the different constituents are in Skid Row. The homeless population is growing every day and there is a huge need for ethical, long lasting services to support their community.
Alternative Break, Peru
As I was learning a lot about special education in the United States, I became more curious about special education services in other countries. Were they struggling with the same issues as the United States with access to disability resources? What approaches were other countries taking to become more inclusive? This lead me to applying and accepting a trip to Peru focused on special education. Our student group learned about service delivery sites in the area, including a small church where we took part in their daily programming. We shadowed these different service delivery programs for kids with disabilities and listened to community members on the strengths and weaknesses of the special education system in Peru. This was my first chance to travel internationally with the intention of learning from a new community about my passion for disability rights.
Chaeli’s House, South Africa
After traveling to Peru, I was eager to learn more about how other countries made disability services available to their communities. So I applied to another international trip to Cape Town, South Africa focused on disability rights. Our student group partnered with a nonprofit called Chaeli’s House. It is a place that delivers services to people with disabilities, such as day programs, weekly open community programs, and wheelchair exchange programs. We traveled around the local Cape Town community talking with people about their access to disability services. It was an incredible opportunity to connect with new people and learn about an issues I am truly passionate about.